The ACT Government has today outlined its new supermarket policy, which they argue will offer Canberra’s grocery shoppers “more choices, more suburban supermarkets and potentially cheaper prices”.Chief Minister and Minister for Business and Economic Development Jon Stanhope said the plan would guide future supermarket development and, in particular, address a shortage of larger, full-line independent supermarket stores in central Canberra and Gungahlin. “This Implementation... ...Read more »

The Federal Government is moving with states and territories to ensure planning laws do not “unjustifiably restrict competition in grocery retailing”, Competition Minister Dr Craig Emerson has advised. A NSW government review of anti-competitive features of its planning and zoning laws is underway and the Federal Government is looking to work with the state government on a range of measures. In its grocery inquiry report, the ACCC found that planning and zoning legislation restricts competition... ...Read more »

New legislation likely to be introduced in the ACT, that will render Coles, Woolworths and IGA ineligible to apply for certain sites, has been questioned by the competition watchdog. The changes to planning laws are designed to improve competition but Graeme Samuel, Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, believes they are incongruous with the principles of open markets. “They are recommendations that would not appear to be consistent with the findings of the ACCC in... ...Read more »

A policy review in the ACT is set to see Coles, Woolworths and IGA ineligible to bid for certain sites. Chief Minister and Minister for Business and Economic Development Jon Stanhope released the outcomes of the review into ACT supermarket competition policy yesterday. The review, carried out by former ACCC Commissioner John Martin, is designed to improve market access for the independents. It was prompted by the July 2008 ACCC Inquiry into retail grocery prices that recommended that governments... ...Read more »

The ACCC report into the state of competition in the grocery industry has been released, with a number of recommendations mooted to improve competition. It should be noted, however, that the ACCC believe the issue of food inflation may have been overstated in some quarters. Australian Food News reports on the ACCC’s response to the major issues raised during the Inquiry. In General – Key Findings The ACCC suggest that the current nature of grocery retailing in Australia is “workably... ...Read more »

The Rudd Government today released its preliminary action plan in response to the Report of the ACCC inquiry into ‘the competitiveness of retail prices for standard groceries’. The Report reveals there is real reform to be had in Australia’s grocery sector, according to the Government. Despite the Report establishing that “grocery retailing is workably competitive” it also highlighted a number of factors that currently limit the level of competition including “the... ...Read more »